


The Philadelphia Story

by MiscellaneousMaybe



Category: Dawson's Creek, Philadelphia Story (1940)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Post-Episode: s03e20 Longest Day, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28625049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiscellaneousMaybe/pseuds/MiscellaneousMaybe
Summary: During the weeks of not speaking after The Longest Day, Joey decides rent a movie and asks for a recommendation. Pacey suggests a movie. Fix-it fluff.
Relationships: Joey Potter/Pacey Witter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	The Philadelphia Story

_Friday Night_

“I know we’re not speaking. And, and I know you just want me out of your hair. But it’s Friday night and I would like to rent a movie to sit alone on my couch and feel just slightly less miserable than I have been since...”

Pacey sighed, rocked back on his heels, and tilted his head to the side in that way that used to make Joey want to slap him but now just makes her want to lift her cheek to his hand and pull him in closer.

“I’ve got just the thing, Potter. Hold on.” He says as he ducks from behind the desk and walks around the video store.

Joey thought he seemed to have a title in mind a little too quickly and called out, “Nothing like Spielberg. Whatever is the opposite of Spielberg.”

“Here you go, Jo. The Philadelphia Story. Not usually my type of thing, but Dougie had it on the other day and well, I think you might enjoy it,” and with a final sounding sort of sigh, he shook his head and returned behind the desk. He pulled out a magazine and went back to flipping the pages, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

“Pace, I…” started Joey. “Pace…” But he didn’t look back up. So she quietly thanked him, spun around quickly, and fled.

***

_The Next Morning_

“When I didn’t find you at home, I was hoping to find you here,” Joey said cautiously as she approached the True Love.

“You went by my house?” Pacey asked skeptically.

He was avoiding eye contact with her again. He wanted to be able to lift his gaze and see how she was seeing him. To know if she came by to stop on his heart that had already been ripped out of his chest. To know if she was feeling regretful of that perfect week, followed by this horrible silence that now lived between them.

“Well, I have a question for you, Witter. Why? Why this movie? What are you trying to tell me?” she said with a shaky voice. And then he knew what he would see if he looked up. He’d see the girl that he loved with tears threatening to spill from her eyes, full of tears. Because that is how Joey Potter looks when she’s afraid. He’d seen that look on her face the awful night at Dawson’s. Not being sure he could face that look, face her, right now, he settled for just looking at his shoes and let out a deep sigh. He scratched the back of his head, and a hint of defeat in his demeanor, he sat down on the back of the boat and gestured for her to sit next to him.

Once she had settled down beside him, he dared to look just slightly in her direction. She wrapped her arms around herself like she was giving herself an added layer of protection. As if she were literally guarding her heart.

Avoiding her question hesitantly he asked, “Did you like it?”

“Whitter, I asked you a question.”

“Well, first I need to know, did you like it?”

Sarcastically, she bit out, “Well it’s nothing like Spielberg.” But then Joey shrugged, “I watched it. And then I watched it again. It’s a movie about a woman who has barriers up and is seen as a snob. The movie was funny and romantic and I loved how I didn’t think about Dawson once while watching it. Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, how could I not like it? Although it’s a little too rich for my blood – all those upperclass jokes. But on that second watch through, I looked and looked and spent my time thinking _what message is Pace trying to send me?_ You’re not trying to tell me you hate me, right?” Joey was just at a loss and wanted to look defiant but knew she just looked small.

Pacey was looking around at anything but her. She just needed him to look her way when suddenly he spoke, “Of course, Potter. Never.”

Instantly, Joey knew that this serious conversation was missing the spark of banter and quickly threw in, trying to sound as joking as possible “But ya know, we spent the first fifteen years saying we hated each other, so that’d be nothing new.”

Finally, finally, Pacey met Joey’s eyes.

“Josephine Potter, you’re a real idiot sometimes you know that? Yes, I, Pacey Witter, recommended a 1940’s romantic comedy to watch in order to send you subliminal messages. Oh wait, I’m not Dawson,” He snapped sarcastically. But then he saw the confusion spring to Joey’s furrowed brow and perhaps a dimming of hope behind her still watery eyes. So he continued with a bit less bravado. “It’s a movie about a beautiful Goddess, who’s not a Goddess at all. She’s just a woman who makes mistakes, and tries to pick the nice guy, and when she goes looking for just a little more adventure in her life, her life falls to pieces. But she still gets a happy ending. I thought you might like it.”

Decisively, Joey reached her hand out, to that boy sitting next to her and interlaced their fingers. “That’s such a better answer than what I expected!” she proclaimed and leaned her head cautiously against his shoulder.

Pacey let a wry smile crack through unintentionally and said “Well, I could have said it was because he named their boat _True Love_.”

After sitting in silence for a moment, Joey broke out with “You didn’t tell me if you like the movie or not.” Pacey took a deep breath and turned his head towards where Joey leaned on his shoulder.

He ever so briefly kissed her hair and whispered, “The guy with the witty banter wins the day and gets the girl in the end. And I like to imagine they end up sailing off into the sunset on the True Love.” Joey lifted her head, raked her eyes across Pacey’s face, and leaned in for a kiss, just like in any Hollywood movie ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is my first attempt at a posting a fic after being a long-time lurker on AO3. Needed a creative outlet after this last year. Also, this is unbeta’d so forgive any mistakes.


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